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| Sunday, 30 October 2005 |
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Star gazers feel threatened by SMS Light Refractions by Lucien Rajakarunanayake Elections in Sri Lanka have brought many new things into campaigning, apart from the massive cut-outs of unimpressive people and the constant promises of a land flowing with milk and honey. The latest innovation in electoral campaigning is the SMS poll. Whether these SMS polls are scientific or not, most TV channels are in a frenzy of competition to foretell the SMS President of Sri Lanka. Gathering However over simplistic this SMS competition may seem, there are some people who take it very seriously. They are the astrologers who have been the traditional foretellers of what would happen when the votes are counted. There was an emergency meeting of the Samastha Lanka Vidvath Nakshathra Kendra (All Sri Lanka Scientific Astrology Centre) summoned to discuss the issue. Acharya Graha Danvanthari, the President of the organization opened the session telling the members of the dangers facing them. "Election time is among the most profitable for us all. It is not like other times when our income is from advising on auspicious times for weddings and ministers or deputy ministers to begin work in their offices. "Elections bring politicians and their supporters in their hundreds to us to foretell what the planets foretell for their favourite candidate, and get advice from us as to how to ward off dangers they may face due to one's birth planet not being in the most auspicious house in the Zodiac. "All that may soon be lost. That is the threat we face," he said. Taaraka Shashtrayogi saw no cause for worry as this was a presidential election with only two leading candidates. It is only they and their supporters who are interested in SMS forecasts. The rest of the people will retain their trust in astrology. Panditha Puvak Dumkola was of a different view. We can't take this lightly. Don't forget the frequent general elections, provincial council elections, pradesheeya sabha elections and even co-operative elections as well as elections to controlling bodies of various sports. What if all of them take to trusting the SMS forecasts and ignoring us? Apart from us just see the loss suffered by the manufacturers or importers of thread if we do not advise politicians and others to have "charmed" thread on their wrists. This is a national problem, he said. SMS threat Nakshathra Liyanadasava, editor of the popular astrological weekly "Viduravi" said so far there was no threat to astrological publications. In fact this election had helped raise their sales. He asked how all or even most of the candidates in a general election could get TV stations to give time for SMS polls on their performance. Kendara Kuruturathna, the editor of "Nekatha" another popular zodiac weekly said one must not under estimate the threat. Now that candidates cannot spend on posters and cut-outs, they will put all their money into TV and buy time on channels to carry SMS forecasts about the success of their campaigns. If this SMS craze goes on someone may even think it profitable to start a special channel for SMS polling on every issue. This will be a severe threat to us. It was suggested they make a special appeal to the UNP's presidential candidate Ranil Wickremesinghe to help put a stop to this threat from SMS polls. That was when the president Acharya Graha Danvanthari asked how this is to be done because all of the SMS forecasts on the private TV channels keep saying that he is the clear leader in the polls. Panditha Puvak Dumkola said one must insist that the UNP candidate, Ranil Wickremesinghe stop this threat to such a traditional science as astrology coming from SMS forecasts. It is a threat to the traditional beliefs of our people and part of our culture. Against SMS Kendara Kuruturathna said the UNP leader must be reminded that his manifesto says he will give special status to astrology and astrologers and even arrange for astrologers to obtain diploma level qualifications in the subject. If he allows SMS polls to threaten us in this manner we will have to tell the people about that too being a false promise. If he does not take the initiative to stop this SMS threat, our organisation should openly campaign against him and SMS polling on TV, in the few weeks left before the election. He may be fooled by the readings and forecasts given by these SMS polls; it is therefore possible he has forgotten or underestimated the influence that astrologers, special astrological publications and weekly forecasts by us still have on the people. I think we must adopt a resolution condemning SMS polls, question their credibility compared to our scientific forecasts and call for the abolition of this SMS threat to us. They concluded the meeting by deciding to send a copy of the resolution to both leading candidates, and also to the Elections Commissioner asking whether SMS polls were in keeping with the elections law. No sooner the meeting concluded they rushed to their homes to see the
latest SMS forecasts on their favourite TV channels. |
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